functional_assay

Functional Assay

A functional assay is a laboratory test designed to evaluate whether a biological component (such as a gene, protein, or cell) performs its expected biological function under defined experimental conditions.

A functional assay is used to assess the activity, behavior, or performance of a biological molecule or system, often to determine its role in health or disease.

It measures what the component does, not just what it is.
  • Determining the effect of genetic variants (e.g. VUS)
  • Testing enzyme activity
  • Evaluating drug responses in vitro
  • Measuring cell proliferation, apoptosis, or migration
  • Assessing receptor signaling capacity
Target What It Tests Example
Enzyme Catalytic activity ATPase assay for energy metabolism
Receptor Signal transduction G-protein coupled receptor activation
Gene variant Transcriptional regulation Luciferase reporter assay
Cell Proliferation/apoptosis/migration MTT assay, scratch wound healing test

Functional assays are essential in:

  • Interpreting the clinical relevance of mutations
  • Validating therapeutic targets
  • Exploring mechanisms of disease
  • Confirming biological activity of recombinant or engineered molecules
  • functional_assay.txt
  • Last modified: 2025/07/09 14:17
  • by administrador